A warm-hearted rich man's son, Richard Gardener needs to overcome three obstacles: find a way the family business can run without him, help his mother cope with grief, and stop butting heads -- and other parts of his anatomy -- with the gardener.<br><br>Ethan Fields has worked for the Gardener family for many years. He’s struggling with debt and the desire to leave, and has loved Richard far longer than the man would believe. Ethan can cope with most things, but his anger with Richard’s mother won’t fade. Until that and his feelings for Richard are resolved, he feels trapped and, alas, the idea that sex will get Richard out of his system isn’t working.<br><br>To make the situation worse, both men assume too much and don’t say the right words, and Ethan’s offer of ‘just sex’ grows more complicated by the day. Can Richard and Ethan stop getting their wires crossed before their paths diverge?

Flowers for the Gardener

The land must be cursed, for it made his thoughts rancid. His future here looked bleak. Years of workingon the Gardener estate with the chance he might end up like his father were a bad enough prospect, but towork here and watch Richard from afar…how to stomach it? He’d never wanted ‘just sex’. The lie managed to manoeuvre Richard into his bed, which was fine for a first time. Meaningless sex was like a purposeless job. Fine for a while, but not long term. Ethan had about done with his insignificant existence. More years of the same was for shit and if he could be honest with himself he’d known from the day his father went into a home.


Chapter 46